2022 NWS Autumn of Service

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Other Weeks & Seasons

2011 (September 25 - October 1)
2012 (September 30 - October 6)
2013 (September 29 - October 5)
2014 (September 28 - October 4)
2015 (September 27 - October 3)
2016 (September 25 - October 1)
2017 (September 24 - September 30)
2018 (September 30 - October 6)
2019 (September 29 - October 5)
2020 (September 1 - November 30)
2021 (September 1 - November 30)

During the month of October, NWS Austin/San Antonio collected & donated 60 lbs of food for the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank.

During October, NWS Albany donated $240 in cash directly to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York's BackPack Program which serves more than 6,500 students in 241 schools across 22 counties (the majority in our CWA). In addition, one of our employees donated 143 pounds of squash to the Food Bank from his home garden! This was our 10th year supporting this program.

From September 9 through November 29, NWS Amarillo, TX, collected 47 lbs of clothing items for the Downtown Women's Center in Amarillo.

During the month of October, NWS Austin/San Antonio collected & donated 101 lbs of food for the New Braunfels Food Bank.
 

From September 4-9, a staff member and his wife prepared and served meals and dishes, pots, and pans to ensure that coffee was available, and the floor was swept.  Daily cleaned the bathroom facilities, swept common areas in the buildings, and generally ensured that the dorms look clean. Performed light carpentry, painting, gardening, trail maintenance, and general repairs. Assisted group leaders in different tasks such as assisting on hikes to sites in the Todd Wildlife Sanctuary.

During the month of October, NWS Bismarck, ND collected & donated 102 lbs of food for the Salvation Army in Bismarck.
 

On September 24, 2 staff members and 3 family members helped from 8 AM to noon with set-up, volunteer check-in, registration check-in, various tents, and tear down for the  Roanoke Walk to Defeat ALS in Roanoke, VA.

From October 1 through November 5, we collected dry and wet dog and cat food, treats, and laundry detergent for the Montgomery County Animal Rescue. 

Our office partnered with the National Interagency Fire Center and placed 10 collection barrels around campus. All food items collected were donated to the Idaho Food Bank. We joined our collection with the F3 Workout Group on donation day and the total was over 1900 pounds! Travis Mayer, our office ESA, was part of the F3 group and delivered his donation on his back to the facility!

During the month of October, NWS Boston/Taunton, NC & Northeast RFC collected & donated 120 lbs of food for the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.

From October 1 through November 30, NWS Brownsville collected over 134 pounds of clothes, food, and general hygiene products for the Ozanam Center in Brownsville, TX.

During November, NWS Buffalo held a dual food drive for two of the larger food banks (Foodlink in Rochester, NY, and Feedmore WNY in Buffalo, NY) across western NY. A total of 337 lbs was donated and this was essentially split between the two food banks.

During the month of October and early November, NWS Burlington, VT WFO collected 121 lbs of food for the Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf.
 

From September 3 through October 3, NWS Charleston, SC collected donations for a local non-profit organization, Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR). The mission of LOR is to “provide support services and aid to meet the needs of Lowcountry children identified as at-risk or suffering from abandonment, abuse and/or neglect”. The donations included tons of toddler and child clothing, as well as toiletries and notebooks.

During the month of October, the Chicago WFO and CWSU collected & donated 730.8 lbs of food for the Romeoville Community Pantry. 

 

NWS Columbia, SC collected 45 pounds of food for the Harvest Hope Food Bank.

During the month of October, NWS Corpus Christi collected & donated 131 lbs of food & 7 lbs of other items for the Coastal Bend Food Bank. 

 

On the morning of October 2, 2022, several NWS Duluth employees performed a roadside cleanup as a part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. This marks the third time that NWS Duluth has volunteered since adopting 2 miles of US-53 in 2021.  

A total of 20 bags of trash were collected while walking the adopted stretch along the northbound lane of US-53 near Cotton, MN. By doing this roadside cleanup, NWS Duluth staff helped to protect the environment of northern MN as well as the waterways that feed into Lake Superior. 

Pictured halfway through the cleanup (picture on the right), from L-R: Meteorologists Woody Unruh, Krystal Kossen, Electronic Systems Analyst David Schwemlein, and Warning Coordination Meteorologist Joe Moore. 

During October, El Paso WFO staff members donated $300 directly to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.

On October 14, a staff member participated in the 30th Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser, sponsored by the Potters' Guild of Las Cruces. Empty Bowls is a national grassroots effort to support local organizations in their work to combat food insecurity. Each year, the Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces partners with area restaurants in a fundraiser for El Caldito, the local soup kitchen. Guild members and others in the community have spent the past year creating bowls for the event, which attendees get to purchase and then have their choice of soup from participating restaurants. NWS El Paso employee David Beattie worked to make bowls prior to the fundraiser and volunteered as a gate guide during the event.

 

During November, the Fort Worth, TX CWSU collected supplies for a turkey dinner and a few more meals (45 lbs).

We contacted the Food Bank to see what they needed, which due to the time of year, included a number of Thanksgiving dinner items. Shonna Larkey, the organizer at WFO Great Falls, MT, distributed a list of desired items. Participants then purchased each of the items on the list or alternatively provided cash with which Shonna purchased 2 cases of baby food and 6 cases of baby cereal, which are items the Food Bank rarely receives. The Great Falls Food Bank was appreciative of the impressive amount of food collected (267 lbs), which was sorted to save the Food Bank time, as well as the baby food. We are happy that many families will benefit from the contributions.

From September 12 through November 30, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, collected 77 lbs of donations that were listed on the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen's website.

During October and early November, NWS Hastings, NE collected & donated 105 lbs of food for the Hastings Food Pantry. 

 

At the end of September, one staff member participated in the Public Lands Day volunteer event that was hosted by the Vicksburg National Military Park. She helped clean headstones in the National Cemetery.

During October and November, NWS Jackson, MS collected new and used books to donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. In total, around 15 books were donated by a few of the staff members.

During October, NWS Juneau, AK collected and donated 112 lbs of food to the Southeast Alaska Food Bank.

During October, Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO WFO & CWSU, & Missouri Basin RFC conducted a food drive during the month of October. By October 31, their staffs had collected 349 lbs of food for the local food bank. The food was delivered to Pleasant Hill Food Bank on Wednesday, November 9th.

On November 11 volunteers from the Weather Forecast Office and River Forecast Center in Kansas City joined Bridging the Gap (Heartland Tree Alliance) for tree planting in Kansas City. The Heartland Tree Alliance takes volunteers from around the community and plants trees in areas with minimal tree cover, like parks and city streets. Our volunteer group planted 21 trees in the Blue Hills neighborhood of Kansas City in the front yards of people who agreed to have the trees installed.

During October, the staff held a food drive for the WAFER food pantry. The staff brought in 93 lbs of food. In addition to the food, $50 was directly donated to WAFER.  During our 10 food drives since 2013, a total of 1,113 lbs and $3,853 have been donated to WAFER. In addition to this, one of our staff members and his wife volunteer regularly at WAFER.

From November 2021 - October 2022, NWS Las Vegas collect soda can pop tabs for Ronald McDonald Charity House throughout the entire year. These aluminum tabs have more dense aluminum than the remainder of the can, so the charity is able to sell them to recycling companies and get between 40 and 50 cents per pound. Ronald McDonald House gives families of sick children housing and meals so that they can focus on the recovery of their child. Every month, we encourage staff members to bring in pop tabs from home and we keep a running count each month. Then, we bring them to the local Ronald McDonald House during Autumn of Service. This is the third participating year.

On September 24, a couple of members of the NWS Las Vegas staff helped Lake Mead National Park Service clean up Las Vegas Bay Campground for #NationalPublicLandsDay from 8:30 am - 12 pm. They collected 5 large bags of trash.

During the month of October, NWS Las Vegas donated food and clothes to a local women's shelter that takes in women, children, and pets that are victims of domestic violence/abuse. This year, we did not receive any food donations from staff members, but we received 146 lbs of clothing and toiletries and $671.37 in monetary donations / virtual donations.

On October 20 & December 1, they helped Opportunity Village which is a non-profit organization that works to "empower, employee, and serve people with disabilities". Every year, they host "HallOVeen" and "Magical Forest" (Christmas) as a theme-park that is open to the public for ticket purchase. They rely on volunteers to help run these event, running through most of the month of October for HallOVeen, and late-November through December for Magical Forest. They are on a 2.5 acre theme park with trick-or-treat stations (for HallOVeen), rides, carnival games, a train, and a tree forest maze of Halloween-decorated (then, Christmas-decorated) trees adorned with decorations by local sponsors.

[HallOVeen] National Weather Service employees worked in their "cookie factory" working the cash register and teaching 2 high school students how to handle money, take orders, and hand out cookies for Opportunity Village from 5 pm to 9 pm.

[Magical Forest] National Weather Service employees and a family member helped families aboard the train that goes around the property, manned railroad crossing gates to ensure no one was on the tracks when the train was coming, and ensure people got off the train safely from 5 pm to 9 pm.

From October 1 through November 16, NWS Melbourne, FL collected various food items (129 lbs) for the Second Harvest of Central Florida - Brevard Branch.

From November 16 to November 30, they ran a pet supply drive for the Humane Society of South Brevard.

NWS Milwaukee is part of the Wisconsin Adopt-A-Highway Program and they are responsible for about a 2-mile stretch of US 18 just west of Sullivan, WI. This was our second year with the program. Our goal was to do more activities by donating our time. It is great when individuals stop or slow down to tell us thanks. On September 15th and October 1st, they collected 10 bags of trash (5 bags for each clean-up).

During October and November, the office donated blankets, treats, and food to their local Humane Society.

During November, WFO Morristown made a huge push this season for The Salvation Army Angel Tree program, which helps provide Christmas gifts for hundreds of thousands of children around the country every year. The office collected and wrapped over 60 gifts for three children in the Angel Tree program. Meteorologists Brooke Williams and Jeanie McDermott led the office's effort, with many staff members involved as well.

During October and November, NWS Newport/Morehead City collected items on their wish list for the Carteret County Humane Society and Animal Shelter.

During the month of October, the National Water Center held collection drives for the West Alabama Food Bank and Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter.  They collected 84 lbs of food and directly donated $390 to them.

WFO New Orleans and Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) held their annual Raise-A-Ton food drive competition. LMRFC collected 933 lbs of food while the WFO collected 705 lbs, for a total of 1,638 lbs. We dropped off the donations to Community Christian Concern on September 30.

During the month of October, NWS Northern Indiana, IN collected & donated 53.2 lbs of food for the Syracuse Food Pantry.
 

On November 24, NWS Pocatello team made their way to the Bannock County Event Center to help the Eastern branch of the Idaho Foodbank with the Thanksgiving meal distribution. 400,000 lbs of food were sorted. It was chilly, but at least the sun was shining! It was such a fun way to help out our community and make sure more of our neighbors get to enjoy a tasty Thanksgiving meal.

During November and December, they held a collection drive for Toys for Tots.

Tyler Kranz, a Meteorologist at WFO Portland, organized a volunteer office team and then partnered up with SOLVE Oregon to clean up several city streets in Portland, Oregon. On November 19, there were four of us and 1 family member in total.  This included: Tyler Kranz (Meteorologist), Jon Bonk (Meteorologist), Tanja Fransen (Meteorologist-in-Charge), and Victor Stegemiller (Hydrometeorologist, NWRFC). Several bags of trash were collected.

During the month of October, NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC collected & donated 530 lbs of food for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

During the month of October, NWS Rapid Cities, SD collected & donated 145.1 lbs of food & 18.7 lbs of other items for the Feeding South Dakota, Cornerstone Rescue Mission, and Humane Society of the Black Hills.
 

During the month of October, NWS Riverton collected & donated 236.2 lbs of food & 234.47 lbs of other items to the Christian Food Store & PAWS Animal Shelter.

During the month of October, NWS Shreveport collected & donated 94 lbs of food for the NW LA Food Bank & 123 lbs of food and other supplies for the Humane Society of NWLA.

During the month of October, NWS Spokane collected & donated 250 lbs of food for the 2nd Harvest Food Bank.

The NWS Springfield staff donated $150 directly to the Ozarks Food Harvest.

Since 2012, WFO Guam has participated in Habitat for Humanity (H4H) of Guam twice-a-year "Quiz Nite" fundraisers. As the primary fundraiser for the charity, Quiz Nites brought in significant funds for a number of Guam-based projects. Due to COVID, they’ve had to cancel 5 events, resulting in major financial hardships. Seeking to make this world record attempt a rallying event for the island, the Aydlett brothers partnered with H4H Guam in the hopes of recovering funds for the charity that were lost during COVID.

From June 13 to June 19, WFO Guam’s Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Marcus Landon Aydlett, and Science and Operations Officer, William Brandon Aydlett, worked on a mega project they’ve named “Tower for Humanity”. The Aydlett Brothers built a scaled replica of Chicago’s Willis Tower due to its form and capability to be “Lincoln-logged”—the more well-known brand name of the popular wooden building block. “The Willis Tower is a simple and sturdy design in regards to building with Lincoln Logs, following a 9-column-structure, tapering with height in 4 phases,” Landon says.

The Aydlett brothers now hold 2 Guinness World Records records for the world’s largest toy timber structure with 74,019 blocks, surpassing the previous record of 37,000 blocks; and the world’s tallest toy timber structure at 25 feet 11 inches, surpassing the previous record of 18 feet 4 inches. The toy timber structure was scaled to be a 21-foot replica of Chicago’s Willis Tower but was stretched vertically to its final height and stood for 3 days in the Center Court of Guam’s Agana Shopping Center.

The project’s fundraising component was also a success. The Tower for Humanity event raised over $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Guam, with donations from business sponsors, in-kind contributions to the project, and the Sponsor-a-Log community engagement. Hundreds of logs were sponsored by supporters across Guam, the CNMI, the Philippines, Palau, and many more from the continental U.S., including some of you in the NWS! This event brought much-needed funds to the charity and supported a new, local push for more affordable housing on Guam.

The Aydlett brothers have since packed away the building blocks, but continue to collect! They are looking at possible future projects in the community. “We’re currently in discussion with Guam’s Micronesia Mall to put on a multi-tower event for the holiday season. This next project will be a fun construction and not so stressful, as the tower in June was, due to the evidence and records requirements; this will be for fun,” Landon said. Brandon added, “We’re also in talks with Toys for Tots to partner with that organization to collect toys for those in need.”

If you would like to donate Lincoln Logs or Tumble Tree Timbers to this and future projects, mail them to Landon and Brandon Aydlett at WFO Guam. You can also join in this endeavor remotely, by volunteering with a local charity in your area for the holiday season, as a way to ‘give back’ to the community that you call home.

During September, NWS Topeka held a food drive for Harvester Topeka Food Bank. They collected and donated 29 lbs to this food bank.  Their staff members also donated $45 directly to them.

Throughout the month of October, WFO MPX and North Central RFC worked together to collect donations for the Waconia Food Shelf and Bountiful Basket (Chaska, MN). We tried something new this year and had a theme for donations each week:

• Week 1 - Stock the Pantry
• Week 2 - Stock the Bathroom
• Week 3 - For the Fur Babies
• Week 4 - Funds for Family, Friends, and Food (encouraging staff to donate to organizations of their choosing).

In addition to collecting food, their staffs directly donated $550 to those local food shelters.

On October 20, members from both the WFO and RFC gathered to sort and pack nearly 3 tons (5,860 lbs) of red potatoes at Second Harvest Heartland. This was the first time we did an event like this, and we will certainly try to make it a tradition!

Top Group Shot (L-R on the right): Meteorologists Nick Carletta and Caleb Grunzke, Service Hydrologist Craig Schmidt, Tiger Team Task Force Co-Lead Lisa Schmit, Meteorologist Paige Marten, Hydrologist in Charge Steve Buan.

Other pictures...

On October 25, WFO MPX and North Central RFC employees performed a roadside cleanup as a part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. The offices have been cleaning this stretch of the highway bi-annually since 2015. A total of 11 bags of trash were collected, a record low for this stretch!

Bottom Group Shot (L-R) on the right: Hydrologist Nhan Dang, Meteorologist Melissa Dye, Hydrologist Justin Palmer. Not pictured: Meteorologists Paige Marten and Bill Borghoff.

During November, NWS Tuscon held a diaper drive for the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona.

Each year, the Wakefield, VA office chooses to donate to the local animal shelter for the holiday season. The entire staff conducts a donation drive during the Autumn season with the intention of helping the local animals waiting for their forever homes at the shelter. Due to its rural location, this shelter often struggles with higher intake numbers and a lack of frequent donations. This year, the NWS AKQ staff collected 72 pounds of dog food, 20 pounds of cat food, cat litter, canned dog and cat food, bowls, toys, treats, blankets, and beds for the animals in need. The staff at the animal shelter were so excited and grateful for all of the wonderful items that they continue to receive from AKQ.

On Sunday, Sunday, October 23, the Western Region Operations Center (ROC) had the opportunity to cook 60 meals for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Salt Lake City. The Ronald McDonald House Charities programs provide comfort, care, and support for families with sick children when it's needed most.

From Autumn, Wilmington, OH WFO & Ohio RFC collected items for the two local humane societies, the Clinton County Humane Society and PAWS. In addition, we collected stuffed animals and other children's items for SAFE-Stuffed Animals For Emergencies. SAFE's primary mission is to provide a source of comfort to children when they are going through emotional or traumatic situations. There is a chapter of SAFE locally in Wilmington.

During the month of October, NWS Wilmington, NC collected & donated 127 lbs of food for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.